Going Ductless

Related Resources

This report presents the findings of the Northwest Ductless Heat Pump (DHP) initiative’s sixth market progress evaluation. The research, conducted between Q4 2016 through Q3 2017, measured performance on several market indicators. The study assessed the initiative’s performance on goals to improve DHP affordability and to increase consumer adoption. An online survey of 520 consumers in the target market (homeowners with electric baseboard heat or force air furnaces) returned interesting results.
The survey incorporated two choice experiments to measure the relative strength of DHP features for consumer messaging and marketing. The analysis showed that consumers consider the reduction of monthly heating costs by up to 50 percent and the ability to provide cooling as well as heating to be the most compelling reasons to purchase a DHP. The study confirmed that price is the dominant factor in consumer decision-making, indicating that cost is likely to remain a near term barrier.
Note: This report was republished on 01/17/2018 with additional market partner input reflected throughout Section 3.6, and in the conclusion “Additional market intervention will be needed to reduce DHP costs.” A correction was also made to Appendix C Figure 23.

The fifth Market Progress Evaluation Report provides information to support on-going tracking of initiative activities designed to promote Ductless Heat Pump (DHP) availability and build consumer and market awareness for DHPs. Data collected through telephone and online surveys with DHP owners and target market households, focus groups and surveys of DHP installers, and in-depth interviews with NEEA and partner utility program staff, Master Installers and DHP supply chain partners informed this report.
The report finds a continued upward trend in the number of DHPs installed through the initiative and high levels of satisfaction among households with DHPs installed. DHP installers report increasing awareness of and interest in DHPs among their customers but continue to report barriers associated with lack of familiarity.
The report recommends the initiative focus on leveraging word-of-mouth and internet sources to increase familiarity and confidence and continue to expand marketing resources available to utilities, installers and supply chain partners. The report also notes that decreasing utility rebates and increasing interest in DHP for cooling could affect initiative planning in the future.

This report summarizes the findings of a lab and field test study for Mitsubishi’s prototype Ductless Heat Pump Plus H2O product. This product combines a ductless heat pump with a heat pump water heater into a single, integrated product. Tests showed very good performance in terms of energy efficiency and cold weather capacity. In addition, this report describes a number of planned and recommended product enhancements that could result in performance improvements, particularly in water heating.